Current front-runner for South Carolina’s governor’s race, Nikki Haley, issued a statement today to deny allegations of having an affair. Ex-Sanford staffer and conservative political blogger Will Folks today said he “had an inappropriate physical relationship with Nikki.” Haley says this is a political attack and makes her more motivated:
AUDIO: Haley comments on motivation
Along with making her more motivated, this issue ensures Haley a pervasive media presence for a day as she did interviews across the state on talk radio. Folks offers no proof of the relationship, but in his blog today he says he was compelled to make a statement before it was leaked:
Specifically, within the last forty-eight hours several pieces of information which purportedly document a prior physical relationship between myself and Rep. Haley have begun to be leaked slowly, piece by piece, to members of the mainstream media. I am told that at least one story based upon this information will be published this week. Watching all of this unfold, I have become convinced that the gradual release of this information is deliberately designed to advance this story in the press while simultaneously forcing either evasive answers or denials on my part or on Nikki’s part.
Today, Haley talked to affiliate WTMA to deny the allegations.
AUDIO :Haley denies allegations
Haley is one of four GOP contenders in the race for governor. South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Karen Floyd says, “I have been and will remain neutral in the Republican gubernatorial primary, but I am speaking out today because I believe this primary should be decided on issues and ideas, and not on unsubstantiated personal attacks.”
She blames the media, as does Haley’s highest profile fan, Sarah Palin. Palin also took on the state’s legislature and her political adversaries in a public statement released on Facebook:
As I said to Nikki this morning, “Hang in there. I’ve been there. Any lies told about you will strengthen your resolve to clean up political and media corruption. You and your supporters will grow stronger through things like this.”
Reaching her from Wasilla, I then joked with Nikki that I was calling her from one of the many locations the lamestream media claims I moved to. (Let’s see, I think the last I heard I was living in the Hamptons, or was it Montana? No, supposedly L.A. is where they claim I moved when I “left Todd” in their idiotic reports.)
